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NTSB: Pilots may have considered abandoning landing after touchdown during Miami cargo crash
The National Transportation Safety Board announced on Tuesday that evidence from a flight recorder indicated that the pilots of a cargo plane operated by Amazon Prime Air involved in a fatal crash may have considered abandoning the landing after the plane touched down. Five people were killed and five injured when a?32-year old Boeing 767 operated from Miami by 21 Air crashed into two cars after it overran the runway. Jennifer Homendy, Chair of the NTSB, told reporters that on Wednesday investigators would be interviewing both pilots and releasing details from "the cockpit voice recording". The NTSB stated that 30 seconds prior to the end flight data recording the nose landing gear, right main landing equipment, and left main landing were all landed on the runway with a speed of 158 knots. The brakes were then released, and the throttles increased to values that were consistent with go-around thrust. This was a late attempt at aborting the landing and getting back into the air. The throttle was reduced to idle power 11 seconds before recording ended. Brakes were then re-applied. The ground speed at the end was 65 knots. The NTSB stated that there was no indication in the recorded data of speed brakes or reverse thrusters being used to slow the plane. Homendy leads a team of 32?investigators at Miami International Airport. She stated that the NTSB had been able to open one of the?two closed runways?since the incident to allow departures in an easterly directions late on Tuesday. Amazon's cargo plane was flying its third flight of the day from San Juan in Puerto Rico. The plane had flown earlier from Cincinnati to Miami, and then from Miami to San Juan on Sunday. EDT (1753 GMT). NTSB reported that the captain, 55, has 7,145 flying hours and received his 767 type rating in May. The first officer, 37 has 2,655 flight hours and received his 767 type rating in April 2025.
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Evidence suggests that pilots may have considered abandoning landing after Miami cargo plane crash
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)?said Tuesday that evidence recovered from a?flight data /recorder indicated the 'pilots may have considered aborting the landing of an Amazon Prime Air cargo aircraft before it crashed and killed five people in Miami. The 32-year old Boeing '767 operated Miami-based 21 Air, overran the runway by about 1,300 feet (396 meters) and crashed on Sunday into two vehicles on the ground. Five people were killed and five injured. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy stated that investigators would be interviewing both pilots on Wednesday. The NTSB stated that the nose landing gear and the right main landing gear touched the ground 30 seconds before recording ended, while the left main landing gear landed 19 seconds?before recording finished. The brakes were released a few seconds later and the throttles increased to values that corresponded with the go-around thrust. The NTSB also stated that there was no indication in the recorded data that thrust reversers or speed brakes were used.
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Why Air India's financing call has been scrutinized by Singapore politicians
Air India's request to its owners, Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, for $1.5 billion has sparked debate in Singapore about the exposure of state investor Temasek to Indian carrier. A government minister stated that the news of the funding request had led to anti-Indian abuse on the internet, and asked the police to investigate the comments. Here are some key facts AIR INDIA REQUEST FOR FUNDING Air India approached India's Tata Group as well as Singapore Airlines to discuss equity funding. This comes after Air India and its budget airline posted a record-breaking annual loss of 2,33 billion dollars last month. Singapore Airlines, which is majority owned by Temasek (a state-owned investor), holds 25,1% of Air India. It has also taken a share of Air India's losses. Why has the request sparked political scrutiny? In a post on social media, opposition Workers' Party legislator Kenneth Tiong stated that Temasek's money should not be used for Air India via Singapore Airlines. Singaporeans are indirectly shareholders in the flag airline because Temasek manages and owns its assets, and its reserves are part of Singapore's national reserve, according to Tiong. Singapore Airlines was defended by the government in a strong manner in Tuesday's debate in Parliament. Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow stated that investment decisions belong to the board of Singapore Airlines and that Singaporeans are not paying for Air India's investment. Siow said that Singapore Airlines has not asked for additional capital from its shareholders. Air India and Tata did not publicly comment on the funding request. WHAT HAS TEMASEK AIRLINES AND SINGAPORE RAILWAYS DONE? Temasek said that it views the investment of Singapore Airlines in Air India as a long-term one and has supported it. Singapore Airlines said on Tuesday that it will continue to fund its investments in India 'through internal resources and subject to board approval, and within a disciplined framework for capital allocation. The?stake was described as a strategic long-term?commitment in line with the multi-hub strategy. Why has it been racist abuse? Senior Minister K. Shanmugam stated over the weekend, that the news of the funding request had prompted anti-Indian abuse on the internet. This included suggestions that Temasek Chief Executive Dilhan Pillay Sandrasegara preferred?Air India due to his Indian ethnicity. Shanmugam described such remarks as libellous, and said that the CEO is as Singaporean as any other. Temasek didn't respond to a comment request. Shanmugam said he asked the police to investigate those 'comments and separate comments about Singaporeans who were missing in flash flooding abroad. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong also condemned this abuse and said that seemingly valid arguments should not cover prejudice or hostility against foreigners.
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US watchdog will review whistleblower warnings on voting rules
The?U.S. The?U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General?announced on Tuesday that it will conduct an independent review of allegations made by a whistleblower. This whistleblower warned that proposed?USPS mail in voting restrictions may result in thousands of legal votes being discarded. A federal judge in Boston, extended on Friday a ban that prevented President Donald Trump from implementing the new USPS rule which would have tightened mail-in voting requirements before the November congressional elections. Last week, the?administration of President Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court for permission to enforce the new USPS rule regarding the?use mail-in votes. They said that the new rules would 'threaten integrity of the November congressional election.' The lawmakers cited a whistleblower warning that the "verification" system planned by USPS "risks collapsing absentee voting and disenfranchising many millions of Americans." USPS regulations would require new standards for voter data and ballot envelopes, and could refuse delivery to ballots that did not meet these requirements. Critics say this could lead to thousands of 'legitimate' votes being thrown out as the November 3, 2016 election approaches. Republicans are in a fierce battle to keep control of the?Congress during elections. Critics claim that restricting mail in ballots would disproportionately benefit Republicans, given that Democratic voters are more likely to mail in ballots. The new USPS rule requires that?states provide lists of mail-ballot recipients to the postal service, and use envelopes with unique barcodes approved by the agency for outbound and returned ballot mail. Postal service officials could refuse to mail ballots that don't meet the new standards, or those associated with voters not listed on the list.
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Wizz Air and Ryanair demand NATS overhaul following UK flight disruption
Budget airlines 'Wizz Air' and 'Ryanair, both European carriers, called for a restructure of Britain’s air traffic controller NATS on Tuesday after a?new technical issue that caused?hundreds? of flights to be disrupted at key airports across the country. "A vital national infrastructure provider shouldn't repeatedly stop the aviation system." NATS in its current state is not suitable for the purpose it was intended for," said a Wizz Air spokesperson. Rival airline Ryanair has also criticised this agency and demanded the resignation of its CEO, Martin Rolfe. We were told that lessons would be learned after the collapse of 2023. "Resilience will improve" was the message. We were told that the systems had been repaired. "Yet here we are again", said Ryanair Chief Operating Officer Neal McMahon. NATS said it had implemented "a fix" to the latest problem and was working closely with airlines and airports in order to restore normalcy. We continue to work closely together with our airport and airline customers on recovery. "We sincerely apologize for the disruption of people's travels today and encourage them to continue to contact their airline," said a spokesperson in a press release. The British aviation regulator said that in 2024 NATS would need to revise its contingency plan for 'outages' after the automatic processing of flight schedules malfunctioned one year prior, causing chaos at Britain's airports. The Civil Aviation Authority announced on Tuesday that it has been in touch with NATS regarding the incident, and is expecting the latter to provide a complete report. A CAA spokesperson stated that "we will then determine if?any additional steps are needed to ensure the safety and reliability of the UK air traffic control system."
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Kansas Republicans support Bombardier after Trump's threat
Trump's threat to ban Bombardier aircraft from the United States began to backfire Tuesday, after Republicans in Kansas, which employs 1,500?Bombardier? employees, pledged to protect these jobs before a crucial November election. Some Republican legislators reached out to the White House over their fears that Bombardier would lose access to a large market, which accounts for half of its sales. Meanwhile, Democratic opponents in the predominantly red state jumped into the debate. Roger Marshall, Republican U.S. Senator for Kansas, who is running for election, has said that he will fight to keep Bombardier's jobs in Kansas. He said, "I have already brought this concern to the Oval Office." Bombardier employs 3,500 people in the U.S.; more than 40% are located in Wichita. Jerry Moran, a Republican senator from Kansas who will not be re-elected this year, told reporters on Monday he had contacted the Trump administration to "ensure that the president was aware of Bombardier's significant contribution to Kansas." The threat to Bombardier could escalate an already escalating U.S.-Canada trade war that is a growing election issue in the run up to the November midterm elections. Adam Hamilton, a Democrat who is running to replace Marshall in the Senate race, said on X Monday that Bombardier provides good-paying employment for 1,500 Kansas families. "Now, the president tries to take this away." The highly integrated aerospace industry has been largely spared from Trump's wider tariff war, which has imposed?duties in other industries such as autos. Three aviation lawyers who were interviewed by said that it wasn't immediately clear as to how Trump could prevent Bombardier private planes from being delivered in the United States, since they had been approved by U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. The White House is yet to comment. Trump's threats to decertify Bombardier planes in February over a certification spat with U.S. rival Gulfstream Aerospace did not materialize. Transport Canada approved the American-made aircraft. The IAM, North America's largest aerospace union, has said that it opposes Trump banning the jets. David Hernandez, an associate at Vedder-Price in Washington, said that the situation is causing a great deal of anxiety on both sides. This makes no sense. Hernandez told a client who was planning to fly Bombardier at the end October, that he asked him Tuesday if the threat posed a problem. Although the administration hasn't yet banned any planes from flying, lawyers should still take this threat seriously. Ehsan M. Monfared is an attorney at YYZlaw in Toronto. He said that there was no sign of any resistance from Americans who wanted to buy used Bombardier business aircraft from his Canadian customers. Monfared stated that the sentiment among the business aviation community is that Trump would alienate supporters and wealthy donors by banning deliveries of Bombardier aircraft. He said that a policy like this would affect too many orders from supporters of the government. "And its legal basis is in any case questionable." Bombardier shares fell 3.6% at midday after opening the day down 6.4%. Trump's threat was made in a Monday post as the trade dispute between Washington and Ottawa intensified, with Canada introducing counter-tariffs on U.S. goods worth $20 billion. On Monday night, Congressman Ron Estes of the Republican Party, who represents Kansas' 4th District, stated on the social networking site X, that he opposed tariffs on aerospace and defended Canadian planemaker Bombardier's contribution to Kansas. Bombardier is trusted by the U.S. military to perform critical missions in national security.
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French energy unions are threatening strikes in the next week due to a proposal to reduce benefits and pay
Three union members told us that French energy sector 'unions' are planning to strike on Tuesday, August 8, over a recomendation made by the French Court of Auditors in July to curb wage growth and employee perks such as cheaper power and gas. The Belgian Gas Terminal Operator Fluxys, the French Gas Terminal Operator Elengy and state-owned EDF have all filed strike notices. The unions of French energy workers and retirees pay reduced rates for electricity and gas. This is a key part of their compensation package. This court determined that EDF would lose over EUR700 millions in revenue by 2024. EDF spokesperson said that this type of preferential access is common in major companies. Employees value the energy-related benefits while encouraging responsible consumption. The spokesperson stated that it was "perfectly appropriate" for the company, whose success in the industry relies on the commitment of its employees. Gas deliveries could be disrupted if a strike occurs in Europe, as the continent works to fill up its storage before winter. Power cuts may also occur if wholesale electricity prices remain high. France is Europe's biggest LNG importer. These cargoes are transported throughout the continent. Around 70% of the country's electricity is generated by nuclear power. A union source said that further strikes could be possible following Tuesday's 24 hour action. An official from the government said that 'discussions are being held and some changes are being considered, such as moving away from a flat-rate for cheaper energy, to an allowance based upon consumption.' But the government must follow the Court of Auditors guidance. The court recommended that EDF limit annual wage increases and phase out energy benefits. EDF faces significant investment costs in upgrading its nuclear fleet, and planning new reactors. A CGT member in the gas industry said that a large turnout is expected due to opposition of the auditors' reports. Fluxys stated that it was too soon to determine the impact on operations, but terminals located outside France were not affected. Elengy confirmed all the unions in the energy sector had called for strike action, but was unable to indicate any potential impact.
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EasyJet is facing a $72 million lawsuit for stranded Airbus aircraft, reports FT
The Financial Times reported that a unit of the Russian state-owned aircraft?lessor GTLK is suing 'easyJet' for $72 million over claims it illegally abandoned six Airbus airplanes after ending their leases due to sanctions. STLC - Europe Eight, a division of GTLK Europe filed the lawsuit in London's High Court. It alleges that easyJet leased 'Airbus jets at Madrid and Cyprus without maintenance in 2022 while airport storage charges continued to accumulate. According to the claim the carrier leased 'aircraft from STLC, and informed the lessor 'April 2022 it was terminating leases due to EU sanctions that prevented them from maintaining or repairing jets. The report said that STLC maintains the sanctions do not apply since the aircraft was outside of Russia and the leasing company is based in Ireland. The poor condition of three jets that were parked at Cyprus' Larnaca International Airport led to a sale for $32,5 million less than anticipated. According to the report, three more aircraft are still parked in Madrid. EasyJet's spokesperson said that the airline will defend the claim fully and refused to comment further. GTLK has not responded to the request for comment.
Sources say that China's state-owned oil shippers have deployed oil tankers to avoid chokepoints in the Gulf and deploy them outside of it.
According to industry executives, ship brokers, and tanker trackers, two Chinese shipping giants are no longer sending oil tankers into Middle East chokepoints because of the ongoing conflict. Instead, they're collecting oil cargoes from outside the?Gulf.
According to Vortexa, a tanker tracking service, and a shipbroker, state-controlled COSCO?Shipping Energy Transportation (CMES) and China Merchants Energy Shipping have been keeping their tankers away from the Strait of Hormuz since late July. Security concerns are preventing oil shipments for the world's biggest importer.
Yemen's Houthis announced a maritime embargo on Saudi Arabia on 20 July, while the Strait of Hormuz is still largely closed following a short interim peace agreement reached between Iran and the United States in June that fell apart.
According to two Chinese shipping executives who have direct knowledge of this matter and a state oil trader, the decision was made by two shippers after they had communicated with the central authorities. Due to company policy, these sources and others refused to be identified.
CMES informed investors late in July that for the moment, its vessels would not be entering the Strait of Hormuz. A public filing revealed that it added other shippers had avoided Bab al-Mandeb without mentioning their own policy.
Shipping sources say that the two shippers handled half of China's crude oil imports before the Iran War began late February.
Chinese customs data shows that China imported 4.9 million barrels of crude oil per day in average last year, including the oil shipped by VLCCs but excluding the oil from Iran sanctioned by the U.S. According to traders and analysts, the two state-owned shippers don't transport Iranian oil because of sanctions.
A state-owned shipper said that supertanker usage has decreased since the Iran War began, and many vessels have been diverted on longer routes to the Atlantic or the Americas.
The executive stated that "the tankers are still engaged but they are sailing longer journeys and experiencing longer waiting times amid greater uncertainty."
COSCO has not responded to a comment request. CMES declined to comment immediately.
Loading Outside the Gulf
Ship-tracking data from Kpler revealed a spike in transfers between vessels owned by China and Hong Kong in the Gulf of Oman. Volumes exceeded 600,000 barrels a day (bpd).
In April and May, there was no activity of this kind. The first two months in 2026 saw less than 30,000 barrels per day.
"They're avoiding the two Straits but sending vessels outside the Gulf to the new STS points (ship-to ship) - low-risk and good profits," said another Chinese shipping executive. He was referring to the waters near the ports of Omani and Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, where, over the past few months, most Gulf crude exports were shipped and transferred onto vessels bound for Asian customers.
HIGH FREIGHT MARGINS
The second executive said that the daily freight for the Oman to China voyage was estimated at $140,000 last Friday, translating into a margin per tanker of approximately $110,000. The executive said that before the Iran war a VLCC tanker made $30,000 to $40K per day on a similar route.
Vortexa reports that four supertankers operated by COSCO and a fifth one operated by CMES transferred oil from ship to ship at Fujairah, in July.
According to a shipbroker, between August and mid-September about a dozen each of COSCO and CMES supertankers are scheduled for loading outside the Gulf. These vessels will be primarily chartered by Chinese refiners and will mainly load at Fujairah or in Omani ports.
Kpler tracking indicates that Coslucky Lake changed its course early in August to avoid the Houthis blockade and instead sailed through the Suez Canal without any cargo to load Saudi Arabian oil at Egypt's Mediterranean Port of Sidi Kerir. (Reporting Chen Aizhu, Siyi Liu, Additional reporting by Beijing Newsroom and Jamie Freed; Editing by Jamie Freed).
(source: Reuters)